The hard part is when your manager is involved with the gossiping/ whining.
Esme I am so glad to know there are nurse managers that rise above it!!
Hope your staff knows how lucky they are to have you!

Yikes. Please don't end up on the news. I am so sorry for your pain. I hope you find a better outlet than this and I strongly encourage you to seek help for this festering internal wound. You don't deserve to feel this way and I fear from what you have said that something horrible might happen.

I hear you and I feel your pain. I think those people have very little confidence and are insecure. There are a few that are just plain petty and mean...but a majority are very insecure and feel obligated to point their own inadequacies by placing them upon others to make themselves better. When I was a manager I had a "No whining" policy and I made it very clear to the staff. Even in my interview process I made it clear that it is mandatory to play nice in the sandbox.

I am a strong advocate for an open door policy and would go out to help whenever but especially when asked. I had a "Whine Box" if it wasn't a practice, safety, competency issue it went in the whine box. There you could rant and rave to your hearts content. I did not allow bickering but I would mediate, like I did with my kids "He's looking at me....She's breathing my air" arguments so both parties could get it out of their systems.

Just consider the source....don't engage them and their activity, and be the better nurse..:redpinkhe

How about writing down important things you want to say so you won't forget. Or, if you know the types of questions they are going to ask then go ahead and answer those and write them down too. That way you aren't fumbling over your words because you are nervous.

We all can use some help some time ... noting wrong with that and nothing wrong with asking. I like what brandy said about heartfelt but I don't know. You know they want a certain answer. Research nursing customer care and see what the big guys are saying about it. I'll bet you get some real good tips you can use at the interview.

This never was an issue before (customer service) and I think it's a little on the moronic side. We're suppose to RNs not hotel concierges. Also, what the poster brandy said about researching the hospital is a good idea as well. Good luck to you.

Lol the ironic part for me....I was a hotel concierge and guest services mgr for 10 years before I became a nurse. It does come down to customer service in many ways, because if people aren't happy with their hospital stay, they can go elsewhere.

I agree that nurses are underpaid for the degree of responsibility and stress we deal with...however, I think "mark up" on nursing care (or and any hospital supply for that matter) is highly complex. What a hospital charges is not necessarily what they receive in payment. For example, while the hospital bills $10K for a PNA requiring three days of care, it may only get reimbursed half that. Or similarly, a patient with no insurance may not pay their bill at all. JMHO.

But again, I totally agree with you that nurses are underpaid. If we're incompetent, people could die. That's a bloody scary thought.

Though on the other hand, I can't think of many professions where you can get full benefits at 24 hours a week. Or 3 weeks paid vacation to start. Or dirt cheap health insurance. I love the hospital I work at!